the magic and minefields of parenting a challenging child

Accentuate the positive – 5 great things about my kid

As a parent of a child with multiple challenges, it is pretty easy to focus on the negatives – after all, the principal has never called me in the middle of the day to tell me that M has done a great art project or that he went our for recess and played really with the other children. But M is a great kid and it is important to focus on the positives.

1) He has a great sense of humour – we sometimes make up silly jokes to tell each other – one of hisecent ones – Q: why do cows get really bad grades at school A: because they are “udderly” stupid. Cracks me up every time.

2) He is curious – today in the car, we had a long conversation about advertising, the Khardasians and the Olympics (not all at once). His favourite shows on TV are “Myth Busters” and “How It’s Made.” He didn’t want to come into the pet store yesterday to get a new fish because he was listening to a science show on the radio.

3) He loves to read – while he would always prefer to play Wii or DS, he will pick up a book and sit on the sofa reading for a couple of hours at a time. Ok, I’d like it if he read a little less Garfield and a few more chapter books, but he’s reading. And enjoying it.

4) He gives great hugs – he’s 10, going on 11. I know that in a couple of years, he may be much less willing to give hug me, let me hug him or engage in any other sort of parental PDA. So I am taking full advantage while hugs are still plentiful.

5) He still plays with toys – he’s increasingly interested in music, loves anything electronic and complains that we won’t let him have a Facebook page (for so many reasons, including the fact that the age limit is 13). But he still plays with Lego, Hot Wheels and other toys. He loves Clue, Monopoly and Scrabble. He is still a kid and so far, isn’t in a real hurry to grow up.